h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A568109

He was the inventor of the periodic table. This one is shorter than the others

That's all for today

Cheers,

HELL

My, you have been busy

Short and sweet I must admit - seems to short though - is there really nothing more to add?

Not really.

Fair enough

I don't think there is enough here to make this a Guide entry. As this entry appears, by its title, to be a biography, his strange lifestyle would be worth describing. Did he make any other contributions to science, other than the table? What led him to creating the table? Where did he go to school? What was his home life like? What was his childhood like?

I wouldn't expect you to do a full biography, with every little detail, but there must be *some* interesting material somewhere in a man's entire life...

OK I'll add a little spice.

HELL

Better now?

Better now? I think you just made the biggest understatement in Peer Review history.. I've never seen such a dramatic improvement from one single bit of constructive criticism... I like this article very much now.

I do have a couple more comments, though:

- I'm a bit uncomfortable with the construction of the paragraph on his early life. The sentence fragments there just don't work for me.

- You've mentioned the conditions of his death at both the beginning and ending of the article. It probably only needs to be mentioned once.

Glad you liked the changes. I just thought (in the beginning) that no one would really care to know what the details of Mendeleev's life are, after all he is not THAT famous.

Yes, that paragraph was a little confuse. Is it better now?

Greetings,

HELL

I like this article, but there are a few things in the paragraph about his early life which give a misleading emphasis. You mention his mother, but only in terms of the number of her children - I think the fact that she supported the family for years by running a glass factory deserves a mention (particularly as it seems to be there that Dmitri picked up an interest in industrial chemistry, and it was his mother's example in educating the workers that he followed when he had an estate of his own). It seems to have been only after the factory burnt down that the family left Siberia.

You say that " After some years Dmitri, his mother and his sister Olga moved to St. Petersburg in search for better life conditions.He was forced marry a certain Feozva Nikichna, a circumstance which did not really enjoy. Mendeleev's mother and his sister die of tuberculosis just right after he was accepted in university."

It was his sister Liza/Elizabeth who went with Dmitri and their mother - they were the two youngest children. This may seem trivial, but it is important because it was Lisa whio died of TB (1850 or 1851?). It was his sister Olga who pressurised him to marry Feozna Nikitchna Lascheva, but that was much later, in 1863. You make it sound as if his mother made him marry the woman when he was still in his teens, but I think even a bossy sister can hardly "force" a 29-year-old to marry!

I think you should definitely move the mention of his arranged (not "forced") marriage to after the mention of his mother's death, since it was more than ten years later. And a mention of the glass factory would make it clear that his mother was not a helpless Dickensian type.

I really like the entry otherwise!
Azara

Another point (a very small one this time):
At the end, you say that he "survived many tuberculoses". This sounds strange. I think it would be more normal usage to say that he "survived many bouts of tuberculosis".
good luck!
Azara

Yes.. I definetly had trouble with that first paragraph. Sorry...

I made some research now I think it is correct.

Thank you Azara.

HELL

Thank you, Hell, for being so open to suggestions! I think the paragraph on his early life is much clearer now. Two very small points:

You say they went to St. Petersburg "in search for better life conditions." This would sound better if you said either "in search of better living conditions" or "in search of a better life." You can search for something, but you always go in search *of* it.

You also say about his marriage "a circumstance which did not really enjoy." You should say "which he did not really enjoy."

They are only little points - I think the article is very interesting. Well done!
Azara

Thank you for showing me the mistakes... Originally I had no bio-data in here, a little research was obviously needed.

The small points you mention: Thank you, I'll keep improving my English in that way.

Gaudite,

HELL

It's a real pleasure to deal with someone who is so ready to accept everyone's suggestions.
I think the article is excellent now.
Azara

*flattered* Well, if the suggestions are valid and correct... If they have the potential to improve the entry...
If they point a *real* mistake out...

When I comment on someone else's entry, sometimes they'll include bits that I know came from my instigation, that makes me happy. As big chunks of my entries are from barton, orcus, the vogonpoet and you (and anyone else I left unmentioned -- please forgive me)

Thank you all... please send in more comments.

HELL

Hi there, This entry was reccomended and accepted for inclusion in the Edited Guide.
When it does get into the Edited Guide, we will let you know,
but please bear in mind it can take a while for entries to go through the sub-editing system.
In the meantime you can you can play with your troll collection, blow yourself up like a baloon, Find new ways to make 42 out of your U number, or practice being kind to animals (Humans included).

No, actually, you should really finish up on your other related entries, they look great and should soon be ready to join this one.

I so often forget to sing

Yours Truely,

Dancer

Sign not sing,

I sing all the time


Dancer

Whoopee!